


Someone to Help You

by SweetSass228



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Emotional Baggage, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Guilt, Hurt/Comfort, Magic Complications, Magical Backlash, Noct really needs a hug, Sickness, also there's brief scenes with vomit, injuries, mild violence, so if you're sensitive to that just be warned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-05
Updated: 2017-09-05
Packaged: 2018-12-24 03:12:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12003777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SweetSass228/pseuds/SweetSass228
Summary: After the fall of Insomnia and the death of his father, Noctis is dealing with severe emotional problems. Noctis himself isn't that great with words and feelings in the first place, so he doesn't tell anyone. But, the magic used by the Lucian royal bloodline is both powerful and dangerous and the one wielding the magic must concentrate at all times or else there will be dire consequences to them and whoever is connected to their magic.Unfortunately, Noctis does not heed the warnings told to him ever since he was little and his friends pay for it.(or noctis can't control his magic and accidentally hurts him and his friends during a battle)





	Someone to Help You

**Author's Note:**

> OHBOY DID NOT EXPECT THIS TO GET THIS LONG BUT HERE WE ARE
> 
> so I for some reason love to see my favorite characters in pain and I'd had this idea for a while ever since I learned that Noct's friends are somewhat connected through his magic (which explains why they can warp during link strikes and use the armiger weapons) and this took me a few days to finish but I hope you guys enjoy :)

Noctis swung his sword with a heavy grunt and felt the hard impact of cutting through metal through the handle of the blade. The MT he'd been dueling with dropped its weapon as it crumbled to the ground in a mass of robotic parts before fading away in a puff of black smoke. _Six_ , those screams could give him nightmares.

A gunshot made him turn his head sharply, just in time to see an MT with no head collapse against a rock. Prompto twirled his gun in his hand with a happy little whistle. Which left him completely open to the magitek trooper charging up behind him, weapon raised high in the air. Before Noctis could even open his mouth to scream a warning, Gladio tore the machine in half with his sword and took out two more in the surrounding area with a single swing.

 

"Prompto! Focus!" Gladio scolded and Prompto jolted before running off to take care of some more MTs crowding Ignis. 

 

Noctis was glad that Gladio had stepped up to say it; he would have done it if Gladio hadn't but lately Prompto's cheerfulness hadn't been as... welcome as it usually was. Noctis would forever appreciate his friend's company and enthusiasm and Noct knew that he had kicked it up a notch to make him happy, but it was really starting to aggravate him. Everything was, to be honest. From Ignis constantly berating him for sleeping in too late or not eating his vegetables to tripping on a rock yesterday. His friends might have noticed he'd been 'snappier' than usual but just hadn't brought it up yet. He would have expected Gladio to say something at least.

 

Another MT charged right in front of him and crystals surrounded Noctis' body as he summoned a spear that once belonged to a former king. He severed the bladed arm that was going right for his neck and leaned back just slightly to prepare to stab it's metal torso. A loud nearby clang of metal against metal made his ears ring and suddenly a heavy body slammed into his back. The spear disappeared in a burst of crystals and Noctis winced and grit his teeth as he was pushed against the MT he was fighting. 

 

"My apologies, Highness!" Ignis' voice came from directly behind him and the weight on his back was lifted. One of Ignis' daggers flew right by his head and stuck right in the head of the MT Noctis was about to finish off and the body underneath Noctis went limp.

 

Noctis got himself up before the body started to disappear and stumbled at the pain in his back. His old wound. That had been bugging him lately too. He'd wake up and groan at his aching back and either Prompto or Ignis would be right there with a potion to help dull the pain. A few days ago, Ignis had discovered that they had run out of potions after a rather hectic battle when they had gotten caught off guard by a demon during the night. Convenient, since the demon managed to get Noctis with the tail-end of its fist against his back and he had to deal with the pain all night. Gladio had given him a dirty look the morning after, as he had been the one to sleep next to the restless prince that night. They had picked up more potions that day after they managed to carefully put Noctis in the backseat of the Regalia and turn in the reward for a hunt, but he had gone for so long without anything to reduce the pain that it stilled lingered.

 

As Noctis righted himself and grit his teeth against the pain, a strong gust of wind nearly blew him back again. Shielding his eyes from the dirt and dust, he managed to peer upwards and a large flying object blocked the sunlight in front of them. 

 

"Shit, you've gotta be kidding me!" Noctis exclaimed. He was tired, hungry, and in a lot of pain. He did not want to deal with another batch of Lucian-prince exterminating robots.

"They really want you dead, Noct!" Prompto giggled, apparently really giddy to get back into the fight. 

"You hit your head, Prom? You're never looking for a fight." Gladio replied while heaving his giant sword on his shoulder. 

 

"Enough! Get ready!" Noctis snapped, daggers already summoned and gripped tight in his hands. Prompto and Gladio shared a quick glance before following their prince's lead and preparing themselves for the onslaught of machinery.

 

The MT's dropped with a heavy thud on the earth and stared at the royal retinue with their cold, red eyes. Noctis raised his weapons and prepared to attack when something bigger emerged from the dropship's opening. The robot looked like it was the size of the ship itself and Noctis briefly wondered how they transported it here. His thoughts were quickly interrupted by the robot leaping from the ship onto the ground, shaking hard enough to make the four of them lose their stance.

 

"Alright, this was unexpected." Prompto's shaky voice came from somewhere behind Noctis but he was entirely focused on the MT's now charging right at them. 

 

A sharp slice of an ax almost took off Noctis' ear before he was able to warp away and ended up behind another, unsuspecting MT. He shoved one of his daggers into the back of the troopers torso and knocked it to the ground with a sweep of his legs, where it started dissolving like the rest. Gladio was right next to him suddenly, blocking an MT's gunfire with his broad sword.

 

"Noct! Watch it!" Gladio yelled out a warning, his other arm out in front of Noct. Noctis could recognize the tone in Gladio's voice; scolding him for letting his guard down for a not even a half-second. Noctis scowled at the back of Gladio's head as his Shield ran forward to take care of the annoying troopers. Noct could handle himself against a few MTs and he didn't need Gladio babying him on the battlefield like Ignis babied him with everything else.

 

Ignoring the sharp pain in his back, Noctis warped to Prompto to assist him. He warped on top of a tall rock and readied his dagger to throw when he was suddenly tossed to the hard ground. The giant robot loomed menacingly over him and lifted it's foot to crush him. Noctis sucked in a breath and threw his knife in a panic-warp and ended up crashing into Prompto. 

They both ended up onto the ground with Noctis on top and he struggled to push himself off, the pain in his back and legs burning so bad it was hard to concentrate on anything else. Prompto took the lead this time and shoved Noctis off, albeit softer than Gladio would, and reached out a hand to lift him up. Noct gratefully accepted his friend's offer but his 'thank you' was interrupted by a cry of pain when Prompto pulled him up too fast and aggravated the wound even further. 

 

Ignis was somehow at his side at an instant, as if by pure instinct, and carefully took the prince off of Prompto's hands while Gladio was dealing with the damaged but still standing MT robot. His greatsword wasn't strong enough to take it on alone and it would decimate them all if they couldn't escape or defeat it. 

 

Magic. MTs were susceptible to magic. 

 

With a weak shove and a slight stumble in his step, Noctis reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a flask that vibrated with pure elemental energy. Ignis called out a warning behind him but there was nothing but ringing in his ears and one clear goal in mind: destroy the enemy.

 

He sucked in a breath to ignore the overwhelming pain and threw the flask as hard as he could, hearing it shatter against a rock or a tree trunk and then there was a flash. Bright sparks of lightning seemingly surrounded Noctis entirely and the pain shot through his entire body, wracking him with tremors and blinding him. Screams surrounded him but he couldn't tell if it was coming from him or if his friends had gotten caught in the crossfire. Everything burned and he seized up on the forest floor but he didn't remember falling over. He'd never had this kind of backlash from his own magic, never felt this kind of pain before. Learning to warp and control his magic after his injury had hurt but this was something entirely new.

 

Noctis sucked in as much air as he could once his vision came back. His body shuddered violently on the floor and his hands reached out to find something, anything, to cling onto. His fingers clutched the grass and dirt and something cold and metallic, probably an MT part.

There was a creaking sound and the ground trembled as what he presumed was the MT robot collapsing. Best to get away now before it self-destructed.

 

Lifting his head was a struggle as well and his eyes had yet to adjust. Blinking away the black spots in his vision, Noctis took in the sight in front of him.

 

Prompto was curled up on the ground in front of him, shaking just as hard as Noctis was while clutching his head so hard Noct thought that he would start bleeding or tear his hair out. Turning his head around (and immediately regretting it as he winced in pain), he could see Ignis crouched down on one knee with his daggers tossed in front of him. Blood dripping from his nose onto the dirt below and turning it murky red. He was shaking too but not as bad as Prompto. A low groan got his attention and he whirled around (and almost fell over again) to find Gladio hunched over near the machine. His eyes were shut tight and his body shook as he breathed heavily and hard enough for Noct to hear it. He looked like he was going to be sick but was holding it back. Looking his friends over once more, Noctis came to a realization that made his stomach churn:

 

He did this. Something was wrong with his spell, his magic. Maybe he had thrown it too close or the spell was too strong and he hadn't prepared the flask right. What did he do? What did he do wrong? Why did this happen?

 

Standing on shaky legs, a tremble ran down Noct's body and he bit his tongue to hold back the bile in his throat. He stumbled backwards and his back crashed into a tree, which made him cry out in pain. Ignis, who had been dabbing his nose with the tips of his glove, was alerted to the prince's yelp and shoved himself to his feet, almost immediately stumbling over.

 

"Highness... Noct..." Noct could barely hear Ignis over the ringing in his ears.

 

He couldn't think. Couldn't breathe. Oh, Gods, he couldn't breathe. He can't hear anything except the pounding of his own heart. He can't stay. Need to leave. Need to run. They would be furious. This was all his fault.

 

Without thinking of anything else, Noct turned and pushed his way through the trees and bushes and took off in a hobbled sprint.

 

By the time Ignis had realized what had happened, Noctis was gone. His head throbbed and his glasses had been tossed in the chaos. He felt around to try and find them, his vision worse than it ever had been before, when a broad hand pressed down on his shoulder. Ignis looked up and could make out the outline of Gladio, through the blurriness and black and white spotting. He could feel his glasses being pushed into his hand and he shakily brought them up his face, blinking down at the red spots on the dirt.

Gladio offered his hand and he pulled them both up, nearly stumbling over himself. The men let out shaky breaths as the world started spinning again and leaned against each other to keep both of them upright. Prompto lay nearby, trembling on the forest floor. He slowly rolled over onto his back and he seized up as the pain shot through his entire body. As members of the Crownsguard, Ignis and Gladio had a higher pain tolerance, due to strict training, than poor Prompto but that didn't mean that they weren't feeling the same effects.

 

Ignis carefully made his way over to Prompto and pulled out a potion from his jacket pocket, helping Prompto sit up against him so he could drink it. While Gladio watched, and tried to get his breathing under control, he observed the battlefield. There was a giant spot of scorched earth painted black where the flask had broken and unleashed hell. The grass had burned away and the surrounding rocks were chipped, covered with soot. Some trees were smoking from the remnants of the lightning but there was nothing that nature couldn't fix with time. 

At the center of it, surrounded by collapsed trees and MT corpses that had yet to disappear, lay the giant robot that gave Gladio hell. Looking at it now, it looked like a Cuirass class MT robot. But these types of magitek creations were meant to be armor, if their fight with that General Loqi had anything to say about it. If someone had been inside, they were most likely dead. Whatever spell Noctis had unleashed had done its job well; judging by the detached leg of the robot laying nearby like it had been hacked off and thrown away. 

Prompto groaned weakly and coughed up the last of the potion, but he had drank most of it so it would be taking effect soon. Ignis helped him sit up and let Prompto clutch onto his jacket, feeling the tremors in Prompto's body.

 

"Iggy. Iggy, we gotta go. Now!" Gladio's tense voice came from behind them and he was suddenly being pulled from Prompto (and almost fell face first into the dirt). Gladio lifted Prompto like he weighed nothing and sprinted as fast as he weakened body could, reaching one hand out to clutch Ignis' sleeve and pull him away from the clearing. From behind them, a loud explosion almost blew them back and a rush of hot air and debris bombarded them. Whatever was left of the Cuirass was left in a smoldering pile of fire, oil, and machinery.

 

After putting enough distance between the three of them and the battlefield, Gladio set Prompto down as gently as he could and then collapsed onto his knees. He'd exerted too much energy just running but carrying Prompto and pulling Ignis along was bringing the bile back in his throat. Ignis shoved a potion in his face and Gladio chugged it like a man dying of thirst. Prompto propped himself up on his elbows and looked up at the two older men with a dazed look on his face.

"Iggy... your nose..." He managed to say with a rasp, pointing at Ignis' face with a shaky finger. Ignis brought an already-bloodied gloved finger up to his nose and looked at the fresh blood. 

"A problem for another time. We have to find and retrieve Noct." Ignis said while flicking his wrist, as if he could get the blood off by shaking it. 

 

At the mention of Noctis, Prompto and Gladio looked around and seemed to notice for the first time that the prince wasn't with them. Gladio got back up on his feet and took a quick look around, as if Noctis would suddenly appear in front of them in a flash of smoke.

"He ran. I saw him go." Ignis answered their unsaid questions and both men looked at him. "It's possible that this was caused by an emotional breakdown of sorts." He added while wiping some blood from his nose on his sleeve. Blood had already dripped onto his shirt so more blood wouldn't really matter now. Would just be a pain to clean later.

"Emotional bre-," Gladio started off but then threw his hands up and started pacing. "You're telling me that we all almost got fried 'cause the Prince couldn't keep his emotions in check?" He proclaimed, as if he couldn't believe it.

 

"It's more complicated than that, Gladio." Ignis defended while happily accepting a handkerchief from Prompto to wipe his nose of more blood. He could clean it and give it back to the blond later when they got back to camp.

 

"We're using borrowed magic, if I must remind you. We're connected to Noctis through his magic and I'm afraid it seems Noctis is having trouble handling... everything." Ignis sighed and took some breaths for his still unstable stomach. "The Lucian Kings' magic can be complicated to handle. Especially during times of emotional distress. And considering the recent fall of Insomnia and the death of King Regis, I think it's safe to assume that Noctis isn't in the right state of mind." He continued while occasionally cleaning his nose of more blood.

 

"So, Noct... lost control of his magic? And we were affected because we're connected to his magic?" Prompto began piecing together the puzzle, wiping some sweat and dirt off his face. He used a nearby tree to pull himself up on shaky legs but the potion from earlier had taken some of the pain away.

Gladio breathed deeply in through his nose and then looked out into the forest. "Alright. Let's go find His Highness before he gets himself in more trouble then." With that said, Gladio stomped off and pushed the bushes to the side as he disappeared into the foliage. 

Ignis sighed wearily and made sure Prompto could walk on his own before they started speed-walking to catch up with the behemoth they called a friend.

 

Noctis ran until his legs gave out and he crashed onto the grass and dirt. His whole body ached, his lungs were on fire. He couldn't see straight, couldn't hear anything. He tried to push himself up against but his legs refused to move anymore. Oh, Astrals, he's gonna be sick.

 

He manages to push himself at least near the base of a tree before he pukes. It's violent and it makes his entire body convulse and further worsen his pain but Noctis is at least relieved that it's out of his system. He tries to stand up again but another wave of sickness hits him and he goes back to his position.

 

There are tears streaming down his face and blood dripping from his nose by the time he's done. His throat burns, his back feels as bad as it was 12 years ago in Tenebrae, and his head feels like it's going to split into two. He needs water, anything that will stop the burning.

Noct looks up and recognizes a pond they had walked by the previous day; he remembers it because of the tiny deck built into the dirt with the perfect spot to fish. He wants to stand but he doesn't want to test the limits of his stomach again so he begins his crawl over. Astrals, he must look pathetic. The Prince of Lucis, blood and vomit dripping from his nose and mouth, crawling his way for a desperate drink of water with dirt and grass and blood all over his Crownsguard uniform. Thankfully, the only thing around to see him like this are the garulas moving among the plains nearby (but Noctis secretly thinks they would laugh and ridicule if they knew).

 

As soon as his fingers touch the water, Noct pulls himself forward one last time and rests his upper body in the cool water. He's trembling so hard that he shakes another drop of blood from his nose and he watches it fade into the water. He cups one hand and brings the water to his mouth. As much as he wants to drink it (he so desperately wants to), he has to wash his mouth out first. He doesn't want to spit back into the water so he pushes his chest up and away from the water, turns his head and spits into the dirt. The water is a little pink and Noct wonders if he was throwing up blood and didn't realize it.

He washes his mouth out a few more times before he finally cups his hand and drinks so fast he almost chokes. It's not enough, so he uses both hands and manages to get more water. He gulps that down almost as fast but he still needs more. Noctis doesn't know how long he lies there in the wet dirt, drinking until his throat no longer burns and he starts to feel sick again. He can feel sweat on his forehead so he places a cold, damp hand against his face and neck, immediately sighing at how good it feels.

 

He decides to test his strength a little by lightly pushing himself up and, ignoring the pain of his old wound, brings his legs around so he can sit comfortably by the pond. He feels a little better now that he doesn't feel like vomiting and he's not shaking as hard as he was.

 

But this doesn't change anything. He hurt his friends, even if it was intentional. All week he had been nothing but a crabby little brat who had spent most of his time whining and complaining and now he's gone and ruined everything. They would be absolutely furious with him. How dare he attack his own friends? How could you do this, Noct? What did we do?

He let out a shaky breath and felt something warm slide down his cheek. How long had he been crying? He wipes his eyes but he can't stop crying. 

For a moment, Noctis thinks about losing his friends. If they decide to stop dealing with his bullshit and just leave, maybe head to Lestallum to meet Iris and then stay while Noctis went to find the rest of the Tombs. He wouldn't blame them; after what just happened, he would be mad too. They probably decided to leave without him. Packed up the camping equipment, piled into the Regalia, and tried to get as far away from him as possible.

 

He's being dramatic, he knows. Gladio is bound by his bloodline to stay and he knows Gladio well enough to know that his duty comes before his feelings. Gladio was unpredictable at times, but something inside Noctis told him not to worry. Ignis had known him ever since he was six and had stuck with him during the moodiest parts of his teenage life, but Noctis had never struck or attacked him before. Regardless, he feels that Ignis would be the most... understanding. He had been the one to watch over him when Noctis was still figuring out warping and his magic and he would frequently get sick from overuse. Prompto would be too nice to reject him; too grateful for Noct's friendship. Noctis genuinely felt bad for Prompto after they had spent a night talking on a roof and Prompto had opened up to him. Noctis remembered the Prompto he met from elementary and compared him to the Prompto who reintroduced himself as if they had never met. Noct never asked him why he acted like they had never met, never wanted to make him uncomfortable or drive him away. Prompto wouldn't be mad at him. Prompto was never mad at him (except when Noctis beat his highscore in justice monsters 5).

 

Worrying about this was silly, he knew. But nothing could change the fact that his friends were hurt because of him. HE had caused this. HIS magic hurt THEM. He didn't know what he was supposed to do.

 

The bushes rustled behind him and Noctis turned towards the noise, his fingers tensed and ready to summon a weapon. Gladiolus shoved the bushes aside and looked directly at Noctis, his brows furrowed. Noctis couldn't read his expression but he relaxed a little and lowered his hand. 

 

"He's over here." Gladio turned his head to address what Noctis assumed was Prompto and Ignis before stepping over a fallen branch. He pulled the bush back with one strong arm and Prompto stepped into the clearing. He looked more pale than Noctis had ever seen him.

Ignis came up right behind him with smeared, dried blood on his nose. It wasn't bleeding anymore but seeing the blood still made it hurt.

 

Prompto wasted no time in coming up to Noctis but hesitated when Noct turned his head away from him. His best friend wouldn't even look at him.

"Noct? Noct, you okay?" He asked quietly, concerned about setting him off again. He saw Noct's shoulders shudder as he breathed deeply and Prompto wanted nothing more than to comfort his friend.

 

Ignis pushed past him and crouched down next to Noctis. Prompto briefly thought of warning Ignis not to get his nice shoes muddy but he didn't want to ruin any moments they were about to have (he was too late to say it anyway). Ignis ignored the way Noctis stiffened as he grabbed his chin and gently turned his head to look at him. He noted the way the blue shade of the prince's eyes were lighter than they normally were. His skin was pale and sweaty and he couldn't stop trembling. A drop of blood ran down from his nose onto his top lip and Ignis wiped it away with the tip of his finger. Without another word, he pulled another potion out of his jacket and gently shoved it into Noctis' open palm.

 

"Drink it. You'll feel better." He stared Noctis down when the latter hesitated and gave a small nod of approval when the prince finally opened the small bottle and drank slowly.

Prompto took this as a chance to get closer and hurried to Noct's other side, kneeling down in the mud with him.

 

"Noct. Buddy. You alright?" Prom inquired, putting a hand on his friend's back. Noctis stiffened and Prompto immediately remembered the old wound and retracted his hand. "Sorry! Sorry, I-I forgot. Are you still alright?" Prompto stuttered over his apology but he still didn't know what to do with his hands.

Noct still refused to look at him, just stared at the rest of the potion in the bottle. Ignis didn't say anything but his presence and stern look commanded Noctis to finish it. Noct breathed in through his nose to settle his stomach and tipped his head back to finish the drink. As soon as he was done, and the pain in his muscles started to fade, Ignis silently took the empty bottle and put it back in his jacket to dispose of it later.

 

Gladio hadn't said anything, just walked around the small clearing as if looking for any threat. He felt... pity for Noct. Even if he had gotten caught in the crossfire, and his head and body still hurt like hell, it wasn't Noctis' fault. He _wanted_ to blame him, but he knew that it would be wrong. It wasn't fair to him.

 

"Noctis," Ignis started to break the silence and fixed his hard stare on the prince, "we know you're feeling guilty. We know you better than you think. This wasn't your fault."

Noct's shoulders trembled and a sob escaped his lips, head down towards the mud. He brought his legs up further and tried to hide himself, despite the sharp pain still in his muscles. Ignis continued on without skipping a beat.

 

"Noct... a lot has happened. We lost Insomnia. You lost your father. These past few weeks haven't been good to anyone, you especially." He carefully put a comforting hand on Noctis' shoulder and could _feel_ the sobs in his body before they even left his mouth. "Lucian magic can be complicated to handle; that's why you trained so hard as a child. You're magic is connected to your emotions, as well. Losing a grip on your emotional and mental health can greatly affect your concentration." He paused then and his gaze went to the water as he thought of a delicate way to explain. "And... considering we are connected to your magic, we feel the effects as well. You took the brunt of it all but-"

 

"Ignis." 

 

The advisor looked back at his prince and saw the tears silently rolling down his face. The guilt was clear in his blue eyes when he looked up at him.

 

"I'm sorry." He sounded like a child again. He sounded like when he was eight and had broken an old vase when he was still figuring out warping and was being scolded by his father. When he and Ignis were teenagers and had gotten caught sneaking out of the Citadel by Cor and Ignis had taken the blame.

 

Noct turned his head to look at Prompto and Prompto almost cried along with him. "I'm so sorry." 

 

The prince buried his face into his knees and cried. Prompto leaned into Noct's side to comfort him while being cautious of his wounds and Ignis carefully pulled off his glove and ran his bare fingers through the prince's hair, like he had used to do when they were kids. Ignis heard Gladio heave a deep sigh behind him and the Shield appeared next to him a moment later.

Gladio said nothing but raised his hand against Noct's back, barely touching him. A thoughtful look went across the Shield's face and Ignis briefly wondered if he was thinking of Iris. If he was having flashbacks of them as children and big brother had to comfort his little sister. Gladio closed his eyes and breathed in through his nose. His hand looked comically large on Noct's back but his touch was gentle as he stroked along the scar they all knew was there under the prince's shirt. Gladio was intimidatingly big and he looked like he would be the last person to show his emotions or affections. But Noctis was different; Gladio, like Ignis, had watched the young prince grow and evolve into the young adult he was now. And seeing him like this, in pain and sobbing against Prompto like a little kid again, honestly hurt more than anything. 

 

Noctis tried to move on after Insomia. After Regis. He honestly tried so hard. Didn't want to talk about it, tried not to think about it. Maybe suppressing it made it even worse. He should have told them, talked to them. At least talked to Ignis, it was his job to advise him and helped him through tough situations like this. Maybe a part of him didn't want to put such a burden on his advisor, who already did so much for him already. 

 

But Ignis' fingers in his hair, Prompto's arm wrapped around his shoulder, and Gladio's hand against his back felt... right. Despite what had happened, they were still here and were comforting him as best as they could. He didn't realize he had stopped crying. How long had they been sitting there?

 

When Noctis finally muttered something about leaving, Prompto was right at his side to help him stumble to his feet. Gladio kept his hand on Noctis' back to guide him back to the campsite, as the sun turned the sky orange and yellow with its descent. Prompto put him in the tent and covered him with a blanket to make him more comfortable while Ignis worked on making dinner and Gladio sat down to rest at Ignis' insistence. Gladio declared that he didn't need another potion since they only had a few left but had reluctantly complied when Ignis had forced him to stay in camp and drink plenty of fluids if he wouldn't take any curatives.

 

Prompto stayed with him while Noctis tried to sleep. Ran his fingers through his hair like he had seen Ignis do to comfort him. His back was to him but Noctis figured it was better that way so he wouldn't see the tears running down his face again. 

 

Dad was gone. His home was gone. Everything was gone, taken from him. But his friends were still here. They were the only real family he had left. It still hurt to think that they were injured because of him but they held no malice against him. Nothing but soft, comforting words and cautious, lingering touches.

 

It would take a while for things to feel normal again, but Noctis was more than grateful for his friend's (family's) love and support.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed this! Sorry if it's a little bit long but I get carried away while writing but then there's more for you guys to read :D
> 
> Feel free to comment and review, feedback is always appreciated!


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